On the Beat with the Rockstar Nutritionist

From December 8 – 16, 2015 The Nutrition Rock Invasion Jump with Jill Live Tour will visit 7 schools in the Lafayette, LA area. The world’s only rock & roll nutrition show Jump with Jill is provided at no cost thanks to the generosity of the Junior League of Lafayette. In this photo, the Mid-Atlantic Cast takes a selfie at the JLL general meeting.

In support of Commissioner Sid Miller’s Farm Fresh Fridays initiative, the rock & roll nutrition show Jump with Jill rocked 20 schools across four Texas cities – San Antonio, Dallas, Austin, Houston – followed by a taste testing of Texas-grown produce for selected classrooms thanks to produce partner H-E-B. The Farm Fresh Jump with Jill Live Tour is designed to draw attention to fresh grown produce. Turns out, eating healthy Texas produce is also good for a healthy Texas economy.

“We wanted to bring Jump with Jill to Texas schools to make the connections early that healthy eating is important on so many levels,” says Richard De Los Santos, Coordinator for Horticulture, Produce and Forestry Marketing at the Texas Department of Agriculture. “Jump with Jill can draw attention to an initiative in a way kids will understand.”

Created by a Registered Dietitian, Jump with Jill has been performed all over the country for three quarters of a million kids, including Texas. However, the partnership with the Texas Department of Agriculture has a multi-city scope that will provide students receiving the behavior-focused, research proven nutrition education with fresh grown produce immediately following the show to encourage acceptance of healthy food.

“We are so excited to be chosen by the Texas Department of Agriculture to bring the Farm Fresh messages to life by singing, dancing, and taste testing our way across Texas,” says Jump with Jill creator Jill Jayne.

About Farm Fresh Fridays

The Texas Department of Agriculture created the Farm Fresh initiative to connect Texans all across the Lone Star State to agriculture and local farmers and ranchers. The goal is to increase community collaborations, promote healthy lifestyles and improve the Texas economy. Learn more at www.FarmFreshFriday.org.

About Jump with Jill

The world’s only rock & roll nutrition show Jump with Jill uses music and dance to celebrate healthy habits by transforming nutrition education into a live concert. Created by a Registered Dietitian and professional musician, Jump with Jill is both educationally sound and completely rock & roll. Behaviorally-focused and research-proven, the show creates a world where healthy is not just an important thing to do, but the cool thing to do. Learn more at www.jumpwithjill.com.

In conjunction with CoBank and the Western Diary Association, Jump with Jill activated Fuel Up to Play 60 programs in 10 rural Colorado schools this October. The districts rocked include Brush RE-2, Buffalo RE-4, Weld RE3J Keensburg, and Weld County 8 Fort Lupton.

Jump with Jill helps brings Fuel Up to Play 60 goals to life by performing their award-winning tunes about the importance of physical activity and fueling up with healthy foods from all five food groups, including dairy.

Fuel Up to Play 60 is a dairy-farmer created program started through the National Dairy Council and the NFL, in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Fuel Up to Play 60 is the nation’s largest in-school wellness program and creates real transformational change in more than 73,000 schools. From breakfast in the classroom to ramping up recess, Fuel Up to Play 60 schools around the country are building student leadership and giving kids a chance at a healthy start in life.

In this episode, the Midwest Cast of Jump with Jill files their exclusive field report from the 50-yard line of Ford Field in Detroit, MI for the Detroit Lions and the United Dairy Industry of Michigan Fuel Up to Play 60 Rally for School Health kickoff event. Hand selected student leaders learn ways to make their nutrition messages compelling so they can lead schoolwide wellness initiatives when they return to their campuses. This event is made possible thanks to the United Dairy Industry of Michigan funded by Michigan milk farmers and processors.

Jump with Jill is the world’s only rock & roll nutrition show. The show has been performed over 2,000 times for three-quarters of a million kids around the world. Jump with Jill was created by Jill Jayne, MS, RD.

But before the Emmys and Grammys and visits to the White House, Dorothy Mitstifer knew a lesser known Junior Nutritional Science Major at Penn State University with an strong tendency to break into song. Jill was the President of the Omicron Tau of Kappa Omicron Nu at Penn State with the seeds of an idea to change the way kids learned about nutrition. In the summer of 2003, Jill’s advisor at Penn State, Linda Morrow, recommended Jill as a speaker to bring what she had done at a campus meeting on the theme of diversity to that summer’s Conclave. The “speech” included having members glue art and kitchen supplies to gingerbread cutouts to relax and invigorate a candid discussion. This was not the traditional approach for an opening session, but Dorothy thought it sounded interesting and matched with KON’s themes so she took a chance on Jill. This was Jill’s first true professional speaking gig… because of Dorothy.

As you might have expected, Dorothy and Jill hit it off. As Jill struggled to incubate what would become the famous Jump with Jill, Dorothy always seemed to have a scholarship or speaking opportunity to showcase Jump with Jill.

Jill and Dorothy in 2006

In 2008, Jill served on a panel in Atlanta while trying to build a business in the “Great Recession.” The group was going to see a community performance of a musical after hours. Jill confided to Dorothy that despite wanting to see the show, she could not afford the tickets. Dorothy said, “My treat.” And so it began – the chances to have small successes that would lead to great wins from a big, kind heart.

In 2012, Jill spoke at a lunch-and-learn during Conclave. A bright-eyed Family & Consumer Sciences major with a performance background approached Jill. “I was so excited, I couldn’t even eat my lunch,” Hailey McDonell said to Jill. Hailey joined the Jump with Jill team the day after graduation six months later and to date has performed 300 shows for 130,000 kids. She has transitioned to a full-time front office position as the Director of Operations running logistics on almost every tour the company produces. She is Jill’s right hand woman… because of Dorothy.When Jill was starting a Michigan-based cast and funding dropped one month before the scheduled start of the tour, Dorothy was publicly outraged. She sent a letter to the reneging funders telling them it was “no way to treat a young entrepreneur” and connected Jill with everyone she new to find an alternative funding source. The Michigan-based Jump with Jill cast is now three years old and performs 200 shows per year… because of Dorothy.

When Jill was on a call with a planning committee connected to the Let’s Move campaign, Dorothy tried to convince the group of very-important-people that Jump with Jill should be considered as their on-the-ground initiative.

Dorothy was Jill’s consistent champion for over a decade. She was never too busy to help. Jill writes, “I can only dream to have a legacy as impactful as Dorothy Mitstifer.”

Jump with Jill is performed hundreds of times per year, which makes for some fun outtakes during the show and on the road. Here are some of our favorite moments, presented as a #fail video series. Which is your favorite? Don’t worry, there are plenty more to come!